It could have ended differently
by K.Crystalheart
Summary: "You do know you're at the disadvantage now. You're alone, hurt, and I still have all my energy left...Have you given up on those 'rules' yet? It's what caused your downfall in our previous fight..."  Alternate Anime Ending. Shinigami and Asura centric.


_(Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. However, I do own a Soul Eater Plushie ^ ^)_

A new idea on what could have gone down in the Soul Eater anime ending. Features showdown between Asura and Shinigami-sama.

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><p>"Not much of a challenge, was it?"<p>

The words loomed throughout the once active battlefield. The shield that once covered the struggle between the Kishin and the young opponents slowly began to disappear, revealing the blood red sky. He was the only one left standing, all the others on the ground, unconscious or dead. As if anyone anticipated a different ending to this suicidal mission. The victor was obvious. After all, he had been trained by Shinigami-sama himself. And not even Lord Death himself could defeat his old pupil. The Kishin stood amidst the chaos and chuckled. The small chuckle slowly became a loud cackle, rattling the ruins around him. He stared at all the rivals he had vanquished.

The son of the reaper was the first one defeated. Asura had made sure to kill him before he had been able to attack. Although it had backfired, the mere child wasn't able to win against one of the most powerful beings around. His weapons were hardly worth mentioning. A flick of his wrist and they were defeated. They were no burden on him, being so simple to defeat.

The blue haired meister had been more annoying; and loud. The young meister had been more of a pest, trying to veer his attention from more important matters. Although the meister had shown potential, he still was no match, nor was his weapon. Both lost the moment they had decided to fight him. What else was to be expected?

The most troublesome had been the little scythe meister. Her weapon was hit immediately the moment they had begun the battle. He had been useless in the end. The young girl, however, had caught his attention. She was prepared to give her life for the pathetic use of a weapon she had. Not only that, but she was also a weapon, yet she had followed the path of a meister. It was something of an odd thing. But that was no matter. The truly amusing thing was the fact she had tried to defeat him with _courage._ He had played along at first, allowing her to believe he was that easily defeated. He found it diverting, to see her with such confidence. The moment she had tried to punch him, he had grabbed her wrist and twisted it, laughing. "Do you really think I am _that_ easily defeated?" he remembered saying. She had stared at him in horror before he had exterminated her. She was that easily defeated.

Now that he was sure that his opponents weren't a threat anymore, he realized he felt a soul near his. It wasn't a weak soul either. It could only be one person's soul; Shinigami's soul. He laughed, unfazed at the fact that he would need to fight the same opponent twice. Without mentioning the fact that Shinigami would be inhibited by his earlier wounds. The victor was already set. In fact, he wasn't going to hold back. He would make sure that Shinigami would die.

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><p>"Something is wrong." The reaper whispered. The tone of usual merriment was gone, making the reaper's tone seem flat, and to an extent, melancholic. Spirit looked up at him, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked. The shinigami shook his head. "The shield went down, and I can only feel one strong soul. The other souls I feel are weak." Shinigami-sama lowered his head into his hands. Everyone was quiet; not even Excalibur spoke. The silence continued, until one soft voice asked the question on everyone's mind. "D-does that mean everyone's d-dead?" Crona's voice was softer than usual, the question lingering in the air before Shinigami-sama answered. "Not necessarily. Either they are dead…" he thought about his son being dead and shuddered. "…or in need of medical assistance soon. I believe it is the latter." Silence filled the room again. Shinigami-sama sighed and went to stand up, when both Nygus and Spirit stopped him. He waved them off and stood anyways. "Now whether we like it or not, our options are running out. Asura is coming this way, and our students need help. All of you go and help them."<p>

Everyone walked out except for Spirit. He looked out the hole in the Death Room to where Asura had fought with the students. "Spirit," Shinigami-sama began, "you go too." The Death Scythe frowned, and shook his head. "You need all the help you can get, sir." The reaper walked towards his weapon and put an overly large hand on his weapon's shoulder. "I've been putting too many lives at risk because of a mistake I made centuries ago. It's time I fix this mistake before any more lives are lost for no reason."

The weapon stared at his meister for a moment, his eyes darker and more serious than usual. The scythe stared at the reaper for a moment longer before nodding. Spirit sulked to the door, the pressure obviously too much. "Oh, and Spirit-kun~?" the reaper called out in his usual goofy tone. He turned around and looked at his meister. "Thanks for everything." The weapon smiled softly and nodded. "See you soon sir." He replied before walking out. Shinigami-sama nodded, unsure that he would see his weapon again.

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><p>"I know you're here Asura."<p>

As if he was trying to hide from the reaper. He was simply waiting for the opportune moment to appear. He chuckled and jumped down from where he was observing the scene. He was going to take his time destroying his last obstacle. After that, it was obvious what would happen. With the all the shinigamis dead, the world could sink into madness and insanity, and the fake cover the Earth has had of peace and order all these centuries will finally be destroyed. Asura walked around Shinigami-sama slowly, noticing the reaper didn't move. "You do know you're at the disadvantage now. You're alone, hurt, and I still have all my energy left." The Kishin continued to pace, glancing at the reaper. "Have you given up on those 'rules' yet? It's what caused your downfall in our previous fight. If you still believed in those 'rules', I hope you are prepared to lose this battle as well. " Shinigami looked directly to Asura, and although he could not see the reaper's eyes, he could tell the shinigami glaring at him. "I could show some sort of pity towards my old friend. I'll kill you swiftly, as well as your attachments. " Asura offered.

Silence was the answer he got. Asura frowned; disappointed the reaper wasn't talking back. The banter seemed useless if he got no answer. He sighed and decided to change tactics. "I wanted to make this battle at least entertaining… The meisters you sent me were rather lame." Asura could tell the reaper had tensed. "Even your own son was rather _weak._" He spat out the last word, making sure to anger his previous mentor. "You're losing your touch Death. Perhaps you would like to present more of a challenge for me this time?" A small, sarcastic chuckle came from the Kishin, angering Shinigami-sama to no extent.

"Perhaps I'll bring more of a challenge when you decide to fight fair." The reaper suggested, his old voice slowly surfacing. The Kishin smirked and turned around and stared directly at Death. "Why Deathie, I've always fought fair. No one better than you should know I fought fairly, and won." Asura assured him. Shinigami scoffed and shook his head.

"Innocent bystanders do not deserve to be involved in battles between stronger beings."

"You've always been soft. Even back then you were always worrying for mortals. Even now, you've gone softer than ever before. You're pathetic, Shinigami; covering everything with lies of peace and order. Both of us know how fragile all of this is. Just like glass, this balance is easily destroyed. The moment the glass cracks, what happens to all of your 'order'? These pathetic mortals will easily fall into chaos and disorder with that glass layer gone. And who better than me to rule this madness? No more fear… or pain…or anything else…"

"You're rambling Asura. Allow me to fix that." With a wave of his hand, the reaper caused a scythe to appear in his hand. This one was different however. It glowed a sickly purple before slowly becoming a pure black pole and blade. This was the scythe of a reaper. It had no soul; it was meant only for destruction, not anything else.

"So this is how it must be." Asura's eyes darkened as he looked down. "I thought perhaps… it could have ended differently…" he shook his head of the thought and sighed. In a swift movement, the Kishin opened his mouth, Vajra coming out. The laser slowly charged up, the tip glowing. A slight remorse escaped him, realizing he was about to destroy one of the few left of old times. The small doubt quickly crept out as the weapon finally released its energy and shot directly at the reaper.

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><p>"How is their condition?"<p>

"Considerably, they are doing better than could be expected."

"And my daughter?"

"She's seen better days, but I think she'll make it."

Spirit let out a sigh of relief, glad his daughter was okay. He sat on one of the pieces of rubble, watching as Nygus and Sid slowly examined each of the young meisters and their weapons. The worst off were probably the meisters, each one a different complication. Kid had been stabbed through the chest, the wound leaving serious damage inside. He was also suffering from unexplainable exhaustion, considering he was still unconscious. Although a shinigami, and would probably heal quicker, his wounds were still serious. Liz and Patty had a few strains and cuts, but they stayed close to their meister, worried for his well being.

Black*Star had hit his hand roughly on a large boulder, which had knocked him out cold. He was slowly beginning to stir, murmuring about how close he was to 'surpassing the gods.' Tsubaki had been thrown to the side when Black*Star fell down, and had sprained her ankle, but she was much better off than her meister. She held his head in her lap, fussing over his injuries.

His Maka had various bruises and cuts on her arms and face. The worst wound was probably near her stomach, which was still bleeding. She was slightly disoriented, but was more worried for Soul than herself. Soul had suffered a few broken bones, considering he had been hit by a blast directly from Asura. He was wide awake, and stayed solemn, scanning around the battlefield. His usual attitude was gone as he simply seemed exhausted. No one really spoke, unless it was necessary for assisting the students. Instead, anyone conscious simply stayed quiet, the gloomy outlook speaking louder than any words.

After a while, deafening explosions came from the Death Room. Everyone looked up, the sound ensuring that a battle was going on inside. Who was winning, no one could say, but by the small tremors that shook where they stood, it was obvious this would be the battle of the century, if not of all time. It was truly a horrifying feeling, knowing that there was no way to help. But Spirit knew that better than anyone else. He wasn't allowed to stay in the Death Room, no matter how much he wanted to help his meister. Instead, he had to watch helplessly as the battle continued. Who was winning? No one could tell.

In an instant, all sounds stopped. Not a single sound came out. It was as if the world had stopped, along with all sound and feeling inside everyone. Spirit's heart stopped beating for a moment, as he held his breath to see what would happen next. Out of the silence that had suddenly overcome everything, one thing broke it. A single sound, a single voice which made everyone freeze.

"Something is wrong."

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><p>"Did you honestly believe there would be another ending to this fight?" the figure asked, his voice taunting the person who now lay on the floor. He moved the black and white strands of hair from his face, looking down to the latest opponent to have failed defeating him. He had defeated the one thing stopping the world from falling into complete madness. There was nothing left to restrain the madness that loomed in the air. He was now in control. He laughed softly, knowing exactly what had happened. "I've won. I've finally won!"<p>

A sudden movement caught the eye of the Kishin, and he couldn't help but chuckle. Death slowly moved, trying to get up. Asura chuckled at the pathetic effort and shot the poor reaper to the other side of the room. Yet he wouldn't give up. This time, Shinigami-sama got up, supporting himself on one of the broken stakes near him. He breathed roughly, new injuries restraining him from using too much strength. He stared at his rival, knowing what he would need to resort to.

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><p>"What do you mean something's wrong?" Spirit asked worriedly. Kid leaned forward, holding his chest slightly, the pain surging through him for a moment. Liz and Patty supported him, allowing him to sit up. "I can feel chichi-ue's soul. He is struggling in the battle with Asura. The moment it became silent, there was a spike in his soul. He was badly wounded." Kid informed them, his voice strained. Spirit looked down. "I should've stayed with him." He lamented. Kid shook his head. "Although it may have seemed like a good plan, you would probably only worsen the situation. I believe father would be better off witho-" Kid was caught off by a sudden explosion which came from the battle. A light blue orb shone from inside, causing a blinding light to overcome everything.<p>

"Chichi-ue!"

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><p>"Y-you idiot!" Asura screamed out, his voice cracking in the pain. He stared at his opponent, whom was bent forward, holding his side. Kishin flinched, touching the area where he had been hit. A large chunk of his body had been blown aside. Usually, the wound would simply fix itself; however, his body wouldn't heal. "What did you do?" he gasped out. Shinigami-sama lifted his head, and although the Kishin couldn't see the reaper's face, he was sure that there was a smirk on it. "You really didn't believe I would be so easily defeated, right Asura?" the reaper asked smugly. "I've had eight hundred years to learn and invent new techniques to defeat you or any other threat. I simply did not want to lose one important element…" Shinigami-sama stopped abruptly, his head tilted down.<p>

Asura was becoming impatient. He stalked over to Lord Death and held him up by the cloak. "What element would that be?" Asura asked between gritted teeth. The reaper raised his head up slowly, and for a moment, Asura saw a glint of yellow eyes behind the mask before it quickly disappeared behind the darkness. "Surprise." Death answered simply. He held his hand out, a large blue orb growing slowly from his palm. Asura had no time to react, or to dodge. Only one word escaped him before the orb exploded.

"Damn."

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><p>"Shinigami-sama!" Spirit ran through the doors quickly hoping to make it in time. The second explosion had left an eerie silence that didn't stop. As Spirit ran in, the silence was still there. He feared the worse, imagining that Shinigami-sama was terribly wounded or even… no. He pushed the idea to the back of his head. As he finally reached the end of the hallway of guillotines, he couldn't see anyone. "Sh-shinigami-sama!" he called out, waiting for a response. None came. He and lowered his head in sadness. "Oh Shinigami-sama…" he whispered softly.<p>

"Yes, Spirit-kun~?" Spirit looked up, to see a shadow slowly stand up. No ordinary shadow though. It was only the reaper himself. Spirit was awestruck, seeing his meister stand up so easily. In an instant however, he fell over, and Spirit ran over and helped him up before he hit the ground. "Sir!" Lord Death waved him off however, and simply sat down. "I'm fine Spirit-kun. " It was then when the red-headed weapon noticed something was in Shinigami-sama's hand. "Did you…." Spirit started, but was stopped by a curt nod from Shinigami-sama. "Yep.~" He opened his hand to reveal a sinister looking Kishin soul. It emanated a bright red glow, and seemed strangely more unnatural than the usual Kishin egg soul.

Spirit stared at the soul for a moment longer before nodding. "I see…." Spirit began. "How did you do it?" he asked curiously. Shinigami-sama shrugged. "It was simple really, I needed to allow him to become overconfident, and I easily tricked him." He sighed. "I wish it could have ended differently…" Shinigami's voice became quite grim for a moment, causing Spirit to shiver from a sudden cold breeze that came. The sudden foreboding atmosphere quickly dissipated, as Shinigami-sama's voice became jolly again. "And how is Kid-kun~?" The reaper asked joyfully. "He should be fine. He woke up moments earlier, but quickly lost his consciousness again. He suffered for a really severe wound, but I think he'll be just fine, just like the others." Shinigami-sama nodded, and then let out a soft chuckle. "He released his Sanzu Lines during the battle… I felt it." Spirit remembered how Shinigami-sama's mask had broken in a sudden moment. "I'll need to talk about that with him." The reaper looked up thoughtfully, unsure what to say. Spirit looked up as well, thinking of what he could add. He glanced out the whole in the wall and smiled slightly. "The sky is blue again." Shinigami chuckled, and looked out. "It sure is.~" Spirit nodded, and remembered something. "Shinigami-sama, what now? I mean, the Kishin's been defeated, what will happen next?" The reaper looked at Spirit and tilted his head. "What do you mean 'what will happen next?' One thing I've learned after living so long is that nothing ever stays constant. Sooner or later, a new threat will arrive, and when it does, we'll be ready for it." Spirit smirked, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I guess so. But one thing stays in mind…." The reaper looked up. "What?"

"How are we going to get Death City back into Nevada?"

"That, Spirit-kun, is something we'll fix later!~"

"You mean I'll fix later."

"Yep!~"

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><p>(AN) Where to begin... I think the easiest place to start is this is what I probably would have made Soul Eater's (anime of course) ending. Because Maka defeating the kishin with courage and/or bravery doesn't cut it. So... I changed the ending to that fight! ^ ^ Why, you ask? Because I can. Hehehe, I had fun with the ending here. Sure it's sappy, but it is the best ending I could come up with.

I'm going to answer some questions straight out, because I would like to clarify a few things so I don't get asked later on. If your question is still not answered, I guess you could ask. At least I'll try!

1.** Since when did Shinigami-sama teach Asura? **Well, I assume he did, since Asura was one of Shinigami-sama's soldiers or whatever they were called before Asura went insane and ate his weapon. That would somewhat explain Asura's somewhat friendly personality towards Shinigami-sama. At least in my world.

2. **Why did you give Shinigami-sama so many names here? **I called him by all of his different honorifics. From Lord Death, Death, Reaper, Shinigami, and Shinigami-sama, etc. (It got repetitive calling him Shinigami-sama)

3.** What's up with Spirit coming in out of nowhere? **Well, let's see... I like Spirit, he is Shinigami-sama's weapon, and I think their goofy meister-weapon friend relationship needs more love.

4. **Wait... I thought Shinigami-sama was badly injured? **Yes he was. However, there are two different explanations for this. Either he has some seriously epic healing skills (since he's a shinigami after all...) or, he's pretending to be better than he actually is. Either or both explanations work.

5. **What's up with all of the ~~~~ in Shinigami-sama's lines? **To empathize Shinigami-sama's silly and goofy way of speaking. He stretches out particular words to add to his goofiness. Adding to that, he calls most people -kun or -chan, sorta of a way to show how jolly he usually is. (You should all know this by now, but I digress...)

6. **What was up with the " Asura saw a glint of yellow eyes behind the mask before it quickly disappeared behind the darkness" scene? **I approve of Human!Shinigami. That's about it. I wanted to add that in ^ ^

Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated~!


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